Arsenal: 5 key players to keep Champions League alive vs Olympiakos

3. Nicolas Pepe

I really hope that Mikel Arteta sees fit to start Nicolas Pepe again. After inexplicably not playing against Burnley, and seeing his time limited to spotty appearances before that, Pepe came out against Newcastle with a bone to pick with the world. He picked it to the tune of a goal and two assists, as well as what might have been more with better finishing from guys like Eddie Nketiah.

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Nicolas Pepe didn’t have his confidence at the start of the match, but he settle in and found that confidence, meaning that he is going to be at peak confidence going into this Europa League first leg, and if that comes off early, we might see a fortification of his confidence that we haven’t yet seen before.

As I’ve said so many times, this is a guy that can change a game all on his own. If he starts becoming that self-sustaining engine, Olympiakos have no chance. If Pepe is learning to dispatch Premier League defenses as quickly as he is, I can’t imagine that this opposition is going to give him any hold ups.

Oh, and have I mentioned that he is absolutely worth the money?

Next stop, No. 2.